Loyalty and Love
by angelasmith101
Summary: AU: Olivia Pope and Fitzgerald Grant meet at a terrible time for both of them. Can they survive? Will they have to choose between loyalty and love? Or can they have both? SUGGESTIONS WELCOME!
1. Chapter 1

Olivia Pope examined herself with a critical eye. The white, scoop-neck dress she had chosen for the evening was molded to her freshly showered skin. The dress was a bit shorter than she normally went for -ending right above mid thigh- but she was feeling good about herself tonight. Edison Davis was finally out of her life and she and her best friend Abby Whelan had spent the day shopping and pampering themselves in celebration. Admittedly, it was a weird way for one to react after walking into their boyfriend's apartment to find him pumping frantically into some broad in the middle of his bed. But oddly enough, Olivia's first reaction wasn't one of shock or anger, instead, the words that spilled from her mouth were, "_You did always fuck like a jackrabbit, Edison."_ Of course, he jumped up, covered his baby-sized dick, and started babbling something about a mistake and begging for her forgiveness.

_"Edison, shhh, it's okay," she had soothed as she made her way over to him. She placed her hand on his cheek and curved her lips into a small smile. "I know it was a mistake. And you don't have to beg for me to forgive you. I already have."_

_Edison couldn't have looked more shocked in that moment. Still covering his crotch for some odd reason, considering everyone in the room knew how blessed he __**wasn't,**__ he turned to the woman now covering herself with the sheets._

_"Uhh, you should probably leave, Kathy," he stuttered out._

_"No honey," Liv told her gently. "You stay, I'll go. Edison, I want to thank you. Thank you for forcing me to leave you. I thought maybe I could've developed some feelings for you, taught you how to be a real man, but honestly, I was a coward and I should've left you months ago. Have a nice life, Edison. I never want to speak to you again so don't bother calling. I won't answer."_

With that, Liv had drove herself home blasting Queen Bey and letting the wind blow through her hair. She and Abby both had Friday's off from their job at the art studio so she knew Abby would be home. She was actually only stopping by Edison's to ask him if he wanted to go out with her tonight, but she was sure Abby would love to stand in. She usually hated the way men used sleezy pick-up lines on her, and Edison's prescence usually stopped most of them, but now she was thinking that she could possibly enjoy some male attention tonight. Once she made her way inside and told Abby what happened, she inquired about a mani/pedi trip. Abby made sure she was actually okay and then promptly agreed, both girls forgetting about Edison Davis' sorry ass almost immediately.

Now, Liv was ready to hit the town. She was single, looking good, and excited to hit the dance floor with her best friend. Pulling her hair into a tight, high up-do and securing it with a few strategically-placed bobby pins, Liv made her way into the living room just as Abby entered from her side of the apartment.

Abby and Olivia had been roommates ever since freshman year at Stanford and neither one of them wanted to separate after graduation so they moved into their current two-bedroom apartment together. It was the perfect arrangement, besides being besties, they knew each other well and were used to living together.

"Damn, chica!" Abby looked her up and down as they exited the building. "You look hot!"

"Oh, stop it! You know you're going to be getting _all_ of the attention tonight!"

Liv joked as they got into Abby's car.

Abby put her key in the ignition and started to back out with a smile on her face, "Well don't let me be the only one hooking up when the night's over. We both know you need some loving after eight months with Little-Dick Davis!"

"ABBS!"

/

Fitzgerald Grant the Third propped his jean-encased legs up on Jake Ballard's coffee table and leaned back, yelling out to his friends Stephen and Jake, "Would you two come on?"

Stephen walked into the living room and plopped down next to Fitz. "It's Jake, man," he spoke with a slight Scottish accent. "You know he thinks he has to look perfect."

Stephen, Jake, and Fitz's friendship went back to grad school at Berkley. The three of them became fast friends in the joint MBA/Law program and since they'd all found local jobs, they kept in touch and hung out regularly.

Jake came out of his room about twenty minutes later, "Okay, okay I'm ready."

Fitz hopped up off the couch, not giving him time to change his mind, "Alright. Let's roll!"

The three men made their way out of Jake's apartment building and started the short walk to the city's downtown area. Jake's place was where they usually conveined before going out, not only because he was a diva and took forever to get dressed, but because he lived the closest to their usual hang out spots.

"So," Stephen pushed Jake's shoulder as they made their way down the street. "I bet I'll get a hotter girl to go home with me tonight than you will."

Jake smirked. "I've got twenty dollars that says you won't."

Fitz shook his head. He couldn't believe that they were still betting on who could pick up the hottest girls, it reminded him of their college days. "How old are you guys again?" he questioned sarcastically.

Jake laughed. "If you want in on this bet, old Fitzy boy, all you've got to do is say so."

Jake was a decent friend, cool to hang out with, but Fitz hated the way he treated women. Stephen was a serial womanizer, but at least he let the women he was getting involved with know that. Women had every right to involve themselves in random hookups just the same as men. But Jake was a different story, Fitz felt like he was manipulative and sneaky. To put it shortly, it would be a cold day in Hell before Fitz would let someone like his younger sister, Cassidy, get involved with someone like Jake.

"I don't bet on women, you know that," Fitz didn't even turned to look at him, for some reason Jake's attitude was bothering him more tonight than it usually did. "Besides, if I do end up taking a girl home, it won't be to impress you two goons."

"Yeah," Stephen spoke up. "It'll be to get your dick wet! When was the last time you got some anyway?"

Jake clutched his gut in laughter and Stephen smirked at his joke. "Just because I'm not a man-whore like you two doesn't mean I'm deprived." With that, Fitz opened the door to the club and stepped through first. He scanned the room, taking in the atmosphere, and decided to make his way over to the bar. He needed to relax. All day he'd felt kind of on edge, like something big was about to happen. He attributed it to his meeting Monday morning. Fitz worked as a corporate marketing advisor at his families company, Grant Industries. Last week, he met with his father and learned that Big Gerry was preparing to step down and appoint Fitz as CEO of the company. It was a big deal and since he'd found out Big Gerry was letting the board of shareholders know on Monday, he'd been kind of nervous. He and Big Gerry never had the best personal relationship but Fitz had inherited Big Gerry's sharp aptitude for business dealings. In the office, they got along fine, it was just outside of that where Big Gerry felt like his oldest son was too soft, too emotional. Fitz disagreed. Just because he didn't sleep with hookers and secretaries didn't make him soft.

Jake's low whistle broke Fitz from his thoughts. "Would you look at that chick Harry? That is one fine bitch."

"You better not be talking about the red head, Stephen replied, "Because I'm definitely going after that. And stop calling every girl you see a bitch," he added.

"No you, idiot," was Jake's response, completely ignoring Stephen's reprimand. "The other one."

Fitz turned his head to see who they were talking about and followed their gazes to two women sitting in a booth engaging in a giggly conversation with each other. The red head seemed to be the taller of the two and had a loud, boisterous laugh. When Fitz shifted his gaze to her companion, he could've sworn his heart stopped. Covering her mouth shyly at whatever joke the red head had just made, the beautiful creature with the milk chocolate skin had him captivated. Her dark brown hair was pulled up on top of an angelic face with big, doe eyes and kissable lips. Her high cheek bones were even more noticeable when she smiled and -

"Whoa, whoa," Fitzy boy, Jake shoved him, nearly making him fall off of his stool. "I called dibs already, besides, I've never tried chocolate," he leered.

Fitz caught himself and stood, glaring at Jake, "You're an ass, you know that?"

He didn't wait for Jake to respond and instead made his way toward the bathroom. He needed some quiet and wasn't in the mood to hear Jake trivialize another encounter with a woman, especially not one as captivating as the mystery girl.

As Fitz turned down a long corridor to head into the restroom a tall, leggy blonde stepped into his way and flashed him a too-bright smile.

"Hey, big boy," she slurred, obviously drunk. "You look like you could use some company." The girl reached a hand out to rest on his chest and Fitz caught her fingers in his own.

"No thanks, I'm good," he tired to release the woman's hand gently but she was determined to hold on.

"Come on, baby. Don't you think I'm hot?" She poked out her large, fake breasts.

Fitz did think she was hot. But she wasn't his type, and after seeing the gorgeous creature in the booth, this girl definitely paled in comparison. He yanked his hand out of hers and made his way past her.

"No thanks," he murmured over his shoulder and made his way into the men's room.

After splashing cold water on his face and taking a few deep breaths, Fitz made his way back into the main section of the club. As soon as his mystery girl's booth was in view, his eyes were drawn to her. He noticed that her friend was gone and then, to his dismay, he saw that Jake was standing in front of her booth.

They appeared to be chatting it up, but Fitz noticed that her smile didn't seem to reach her eyes; although that could've just been wishful thinking on his part. He felt his heart sink, thinking that Jake was going to succeed, but then, the angel in the white dress calmly stood up, took a sip up her drink, and proceeded to dump the remains of her cup right over Jake Ballard's head before pushing past him and strutting away.

Fitz chuckled and felt a tightening in his pants. That girl had some spunk to her and as she walked away from him, he had to admit that she had one of the greatest asses he'd ever seen. He was no coward and he didn't mind fighting Jake for this woman, all he needed was some indication that she wouldn't fall for Jake's fake charm, and now he had it.

He made to follow her out of the club and as he caught eyes with Jake, he couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face. He noticed the look in Jake's eyes and his smirk immediately faded; Jake looked a bit deranged, not just upset. Fitz would have to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't do anything crazy in the name of revenge.

Tucking that information into the back of his mind, Fitz made his way out of the door to find the woman who already had him so captivated. He wanted, no, he **needed** to meet her.

Hi everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter! Please leave comments and suggestions!

XOXO


	2. Chapter 2

"Can I offer you a drink?" Olivia looked up to two men standing in front of their booth. The one that spoke was a handsome, dark-haired guy and he was grinning at Abby.

Olivia watched Abby eye the man up and down and then extend her hand, "You sure can, I'm Abby."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sweetheart," the man took her outstretched hand, kissed it, then pulled her gently until she stood up and walked with him to the bar. As their backs turned, Olivia just barely caught the man's name, "I'm Stephen."

"Well then I guess it's just me and you."

Olivia shifted her gaze upwards to see a green-eyed man standing in front of her. She nearly dismissed him until she caught sight of Abby over his shoulder. She was smiling and giving Liv a double thumbs-up while mouthing "Have fun!"

Liv decided that she needed a little fun in her life, besides, the guy in front of her wasn't terrible looking. She took a deep breath and then smiled at the man, "I guess so."

"I'm Jake Ballard, and you're beautiful." Olivia nearly burst out laughing at the corny pick-up line.

"Actually, I'm Olivia; but thank you."

"What are you drinking, Olivia? Can I get you anything?"

Olivia motioned to the drink in front of her, "My friend over there actually just convinced me to try a chocolate martin;i so I'm good."

"A chocolate martini for a chocolate girl," was his response. For half a second, Olivia couldn't believe her ears. Was he trying to be funny? Another attempt at a pick-up line?

"Excuse me?" she shot him a look that he should've known meant to start backtracking, **now.**

"Well, you've never had a chocolate martini, but you're trying it tonight. And I've never been with a black girl, so maybe you'll let me try your chocolate tonight?" he grinned lasciviously.

Olivia gave him a small smile, took a sip of her martini, then stood up slowly. She was going to just walk away, but then the idiot licked his nasty looking lips and winked at her, sending a chill right up her spine; and not the good kind.

Before she could stop herself, she dumped her drink right over his head. "This is the only chocolate of mine that you'll be getting, asshole." She pushed past him and stormed out of the club.

Olivia couldn't believe her luck. First Edison cheats on her. And then this guy. Even if she didn't really care about Edison, or their relationship, she still didn't deserve to be cheated on. And then this Ballard guy. What was his problem? Did he think just because a white man was interested in her, she would jump at the opportunity? She hated when people fetishized their interest in members of a different race. Fine, be attracted to whoever you want, but Ballard had made her feel like a prize, something to be won, owned. She leaned back against the brick exterior of the club and sighed, _maybe it's me_, she thought. She'd had such terrible luck with guys. In high school, was also painfully shy and extremely focused on school work. She wanted to get into Stanford more than anything; and that combined with low self-confidence didn't leave much room for boys. In college, things became a little different. The new environment and people proved to do wonders for her self-image and she became more confident in her body image. Despite that, she was still very focused on school work and didn't find anyone that she could stand for more than a few weeks. Undergrad was fun though, Abby made sure of that. Even without having a steady boyfriend throughout college, Liv loved her time at Stanford. Then, a few months ago, she met Edison and figured he'd be the "right type" of guy to settle down with. He had a steady job, she knew her parents would approve, and it just seemed like the right thing to do; even though she felt near-to-no passion for him. Maybe it was her, she didn't really have a lot of experience dealing with men and so maybe she had a misguided sense of how they should treat her…

"Don't do that. It's not your fault," a deep baritone voice shocked her out of her thoughts. Before she could get her bearings, the man continued, "I know the last thing you probably want is another guy hitting on you, but I saw what happened and I just wanted to come out here and apologize for my… friend." The hesitation before the word "friend" didn't go unnoticed by Liv. "He can be an asshole sometimes, well, most of the time, so I'm sorry for whatever he said to you that made you dispose of your drink."

The man smirked. Liv admired him as subtly as she could. He was at least six feet tall and she felt tiny standing next to him. He wore a dark blue button up with short sleeves that hugged his biceps in a way that should've been illegal. The top two buttons of the shirt were undone, revealing a bit of chest hair that made Liv a bit weak in the knees. He had a strong jaw line with a hint of stubble, and a head full of curly brown hair. Her fingers twitched at her sides as she imagined what it would feel like to run her fingers through those locks. When she met his eyes for the first time, she let out a barely audible gasp. They were a clear, piercing blue that she'd never seen before. When she saw amusement and something else she couldn't quite place dancing in them, coupled with a sexy half smirk, she couldn't help but smile back. She was so drawn into him in that moment.

"I probably shouldn't have dumped my drink on him, that was rude," she giggled bashfully. _Stop giggling like a school girl, Liv. You're the formidable Olivia fucking Pope!_

The man smirked and shrugged one shoulder, a move that Liv found inexplicably sexy. "I'm sure whatever he said warranted it. He turns into even more of an asshole when he sees a beautiful woman."

For some strange reason, the compliment felt genuine coming from this man, but given recent events, she was still a bit skeptical. Her hesitation must've crossed her face because the man took a step back and gave her a tight, almost sad smile, "I'll just leave you to it then."

The reluctance to leave was evident in his eyes, but Liv could also tell that he didn't want to impose upon her either. As he went to turn around, Olivia felt a sense of longing that she couldn't place, but she knew she didn't want him to leave.

Before she could find the words to stop him, Abby burst out of the club, a little wobbly on her heels, with the dark-haired man from earlier wrapped around her.

"Liv! There you are! I've been looking all over for you! Me and Stephen," she motioned to the man whose arms were wrapped around her waist. "Stephen and I are about to get out of here. You can drive my car back to the apartment, his place his is close enough to walk to." Abby's word were a little slurred, but Liv could see the clarity in her eyes, so she knew she was okay.

She reached for Abby's hand and pulled her out of the grasp of Stephen.

"Condoms?" she inquired.

"Got em," Abby whispered, going over their usual ritual when either of them was going to leave with a guy for the night.

"Phone?"

"Check."

"Cash?"

"He's not a hooker, Liv."

"For the cab in the morning, genius."

"Oh! Dang! No I don't have any on me."

Olivia reached into her clutch and handed Abby her two twenty dollar bills. "Here you go, gingersnap."

"Thanks love!" Abby smiled gratefully.

"Don't mention it. Have fun!"

Abby glanced over Liv's shoulder where Stephen and her sexy mystery guy were talking. "Looks like I won't be the only one having some fun tonight. Good job Liv Liv, he's a hot one!"

Olivia felt her cheeks heat up and glanced over her shoulder, mentally agreeing with Abby. He _was_ hot. But there was also a sort of kindness about him, and something else, that was drawing Liv in.

"Finally! You're done with your girl talk!" Stephen stepped back over to them, the group of four all facing each other now. "I see your friend has already met my buddy, Fitzgerald. Perfect. Well we're going to head out now! See you kids!"

Abby reached in her purse and handed Liv her car keys before walking away with Stephen. Liv sighed and leaned back against the wall of the club.

"Perfect, just perfect," she muttered under her breath.

"Something wrong?" inquired the deep baritone.

She almost forgot he was there, but as soon as he spoke, her whole body seemed hyperaware.

"No, no, it's fine. It just seems our friends have left me in a bit of a pickle."

"Seems like I'm spending quite a bit of time apologizing for my friends tonight," the man smiled. "I'm Fitz Grant, by the way."

"Olivia Pope."

They shook hands and Liv's heart skipped a beat at the feeling passing between them. Everywhere their hands touched had come alive and their eyes flew to each others.

Clearing his throat and gently pulling his hand away, "So, what's your problem?"

"Well Abby was supposed to be the designated driver tonight but obviously that's shot to hell now. I've already had too much to drink to be comfortable driving back, but it's all good. I'll just walk. The fresh air will do me some good."

Fitz scowled, "If you want some fresh air, I'll take a walk with you, but you probably shouldn't walk all the way home."

Liv didn't like the sound of that. "I'm not some little girl, Fitz_gerald._ I've been getting myself home fine for twenty three years now and I'm sure I'll be just fine on my own tonight."

"I didn't mean to insinuate that you're not capable of looking out for yourself. I'm sorry if I offended you. Half of the reason I suggested that was because I haven't had anything to drink yet so I'd be perfectly fine to drive you home. Plus, I was raised to be a gentlemen _and _a feminist, considering I've got four sisters. The other half of why I suggested it was because I'd like to spend some more time with you. I know I said I wouldn't hit on you, and I'm not trying to, but for some crazy reason, everything inside of me is telling me not to walk away from you without at least giving it a shot."

Olivia was shocked into silence. She couldn't believe how open, how honest, he was! She'd never had a man come out and straight up say that he wanted to spend time with her. It was always some pick-up line, or some comment about her body. But Fitz had offered to walk with her and then drive her home, and sure, he'd probably have sex with her if she initiated it, but she got the feeling that he wouldn't be trying anything shady.

"Sorry," Fitz said quietly after she didn't respond for a while. "I guess that was too forward. I'll leave you to it, get home safe, Olivia." "Wait!" her heart ached, literally _ached_, at the thought of never seeing him again. "Is that offer still on the table? I mean," she took a deep breath before continuing, "would you like to take a walk with me, Fitz?"

"So we're back to Fitz?" he smirked. "I must admit, I kind of liked the way 'Fitzgerald' sounded coming out of your mouth."

Olivia threw her head back and laughed. "Don't tease!"

Fitz chuckled, "You're right. Come on, let's take that walk, there's a park not far from here."

They set off and oddly, Olivia didn't feel apprehensive about walking off into the night with a strange man. Fitz didn't feel strange. She'd talked to him for maybe twenty minutes and he'd already shown that he was kind, generous, and just gave her an overall amazing feeling.

"So," Fitz broke the comfortable silence after they'd been walking for a while. "Tell me about yourself."

"There's not much to tell," Olivia felt the urge to open up to him and she didn't fight it. "I'm originally from D.C. Only child. My parents still live there now. I came out here to go to Stanford and after graduating, Abby and I stayed. We work at an art institute that partners with schools in the area to keep arts programs alive. I really love helping kids discover how art can effect their lives. Unfortunately, funding for the arts in schools is getting cut and we also try to combat that. We do charity events and fundraisers all of the time to help support the school districts. It's really fulfilling work. Sorry, I'm rambling. What do you do?"

Fitz gave her a gentle smile and she could tell he'd been listening to her attentively. "I like hearing you talk. And you seem so passionate about what you do. That's good. A lot of people don't have that. I work at a marketing firm in San Francisco. I enjoy the work there and I'm looking to have a big promotion coming up so that's exciting."

Olivia smiled at him as they entered the park Fitz had mentioned. There were a few benches and trees, mostly just open area surrounding a giant fountain. The water flowing through the fountain created a gentle backdrop as they came to a bench and sat down.

"That's really great, Fitz, congratulations!" There was a light in his eyes when he spoke about his job that she was sure mirrored her own. Fitz seemed just a bit older than her so to be climbing the ladder at his company had to be a big accomplishment for him.

"Thank you, Livvie."

Olivia froze. "Livvie?" No one had ever altered her name that way before.

"No?"

"…Yes."

"Yes?"

"I like it."

Fitz smiled and then took her hand in his. "I like you. I can't say why exactly. But I do. I just wanted to tell you that."

Olivia averted her eyes shyly and nodded, a small smile on her face. They sat there quietly for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's prescence. A slight breeze blew over them and the moment Olivia shivered a bit, Fitz's arm was around her, lending his warmth. It only took a moment for Olivia to relax against his torso. He was warm, solid muscle, and she fit into his side like puzzle piece. She felt Fitz press a kiss to the top of her head and she shifted her body into his and rested her head between his shoulder and neck. The skin there was warm and they sat there, with Fitz holding her, for what must've been at least half an hour.

Liv was so comfortable that she must've dozed off, because the next thing she knew, Fitz was gently rousing her, "Livvie baby, wake up. Are you ready to head back?"

She sat up and blinked slowly and then nodded. Fitz stood up and tucked her under his arm as they slowly started to walk back to the club. Their pace was considerably slower and Liv knew that neither of them wanted to separate. As much as she was drawn to Fitz, she did just get out of a relationship that day and it wasn't fair to make her rebound; even though she knew that wasn't the case.

With that sobering thought, she led him to Abby's car and handed him the keys, despite the fact that by this point most of the alcohol was out of her system. Liv didn't really feel like talking and Fitz respected that, nodding and following her instructions as she directed him to her apartment.

When he parked, Fitz jogged around to her door to open it for her and that made Liv feel even worse for what she was going to have to tell him. As they walked up to her floor, Fitz tucked her under his arm once more and she reveled in his warmth. When she got to her door she stopped and turned to him.

"Fitz," she took a deep breath. "I know that we both felt some kind of connection tonight, but. I- I just got out of a relationship less that twelve hours ago and it wouldn't be right for me to—"

"Livvie, it's okay. We can be friends," Fitz interrupted.

"Friends?" As sexy as she found Fitz, she found it hard to imagine being _just _friends with him.

"Yeah. We can hang out and spend time together. No pressure. I'll take whatever you give me. I just want to be around you."

"Okay, friends," Liv liked the idea of a no pressure relationship with Fitz.

"Great," he flashed her a grin that was anything but friendly and she felt her knees go weak.

"Will you call me when you get back to your place?" He had told her he would catch a cab back to his part of the city and she thought that him bringing her home was very kind of him.

"Is that your way of asking me for my number?"

"Fitz!"

"I know, no teasing. I just can't resist." Smiling at each other, they exchanged numbers and when the time came, Fitz pressed a gentle kiss to her hairline before making sure she was inside with the door locked before he left.

Later on that night, just as Olivia was getting into her bed, her phone rang,

"Hi."

"Hi."

She sat there with a stupid grin on her face.

"Goodnight Livvie."

"Goodnight Fitz."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so much to everyone who's been reading and leaving me reviews! The response has been so encouraging! Here's chapter 3!**

_ "Yeessssss. Please, Fitz," Olivia moaned, arching her body into his._

_"Please what baby? Tell me what you want? I need to know, baby," Fitz slid his hand down her stomach and inside of her panties, placing a small amount of pressure on her clit. She was so responsive to his touch, so soft, so willing. Yet there was a certain strength about her that told Fitz she would give just as good as she got. _

_Liv was currently nibbling on the shell of his ear and rolling her hips with the motion of his fingers; all while stroking him softly. Her hot breath and slight whimpers were driving him crazy; along with her dirty words._

_"You know what I want, baby," she breathed. "I want you, on me, in me. Don't you want the same thing Fitzgerald?" His full name coming from her mouth made him harden in her grip. "Tell me you want the same thing, baby."_

_"I want it, Livvie," he was going out of his mind. "You know I want it." _

_"Then give it to me."_

_His Livvie would never be denied anything she asked for. _

_He ripped her lacy thong off of her and firmly moved her legs to his shoulders. Maintaining eye contact with her, he kissed down the inside of each of her legs, flicking his tongue against her hot skin periodically. When he reached the apex of her thighs, Liv broke eye contact and threw her head back against the sheets. _

_"Uh, uh, baby," Fitz chastised with a quick bite to her inner thigh. "I want you to watch me taste you, Olivia." _

_She groaned but obeyed him and their eyes locked once more. Just as Fitz went to suck her clit into his mouth—_

BANG! BANG! BANG! "FITZ! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"

Yanked from his sleep, Fitz sat up quickly and tried to get his bearings. The first thing he realized was that Olivia wasn't there. She wasn't hot and ready for him. The second thing he realized was that he was hard as a rock. He always slept nude and he reached down and gave himself a firm squeeze, groaning as he imagined it was Olivia's hand and not his own. He closed his eyes and recalled details from the night before, stroking himself slowly. Her soft hair, her bright smile, and her amazing scent that was a mix of vanilla and lavender. Just as he was starting to get into the moment again, the banging returned.

"FITZ GET YOUR ASS UP!"

Groaning loudly in frustration, Fitz threw the sheets back and grabbed a pair of basketball shorts from his dresser. Pulling them on, he realized they did nothing to hide his sizeable erection, and, with Olivia on his mind, he knew he wouldn't go down anytime soon. Making his way to the front door of his apartment, Fitz looked through the peep hole to see none other than Jake Ballard.

He opened the door silently and leaned out so only his upper body was visible, "What the fuck, Jake? What do you want? Banging on my door first thing in the morning like some maniac."

"Oh shut up," Jake attempted to push his way into the apartment but Fitz was way stronger and he held the door firm.

"So what? I can't come in?" Jake sneered.

"No. What do you want?" Fitz was still upset about how Jake had acted the night before.

"I heard you left the club last night with that bitch who dumped her drink on me. Is she here?"

Fitz thought about lying, thinking it might make Jake give up, but he didn't want to do that without Olivia's permission and he knew Jake wasn't just the type of guy to back down; no matter how obvious the signs.

"No, she's not."

"Did you find out where she stays?"

Of course he'd driven her home but he wasn't going to give any information to Jake.

"Nope."

Jake glared at him and tried to push the door once more, looking frustrated when it didn't budge. "You know what, fuck you. I'll ask Stephen. I'll find that bitch on my own." He turned around and stormed off.

Closing the door behind him, Fitz ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He didn't know what to do about Jake. He decided he would call Stephen and warn him. Unfortunately, he didn't answer the phone and Fitz figured that he was still going at it with the red head from last night. Sitting down on his bed and putting his head in his hands, Fitz contemplated his options, he couldn't let Ballard get his hands on Olivia.

* * *

Jake Ballard was seething. He couldn't believe that self-righteous bitch had the nerve to disrespect him that way. After he'd seen her leave with Grant of all people, he got black out drunk and fucked some random bitch at her place. After ditching out in the early hours of the morning, he made his way over to Grant's place. He wasn't sure if Grant had fucked the girl or just taken her home, but he was going to find out. Unfortunately, the bastard was giving up any information, but he knew Stephen would be easier to crack.

Just as he pulled his truck up to Stephen's house, the red head girl that was with Olivia last night opened the door. She turned and kissed Stephen deeply and then skipped down his steps and entered the taxi waiting curbside.

_Maybe they're roommates,_ Jake thought. If he was wrong, he'd just be wasting more time, but if he was right, the chick would lead him right to Olivia's place. Deciding that he couldn't pass up this opportunity, Jake followed the taxi at a safe distance as it made its way across the city.

The cab stopped and the girl ran out. Jake thought it was odd that the cab didn't leave, instead idled at the curb. About ten minutes later, the red head came out with a duffle bag and returned to the cab, which then pulled off.

Taking a chance that the girls did in fact live together, he got out of his truck and made his way up to the apartment he'd seen the redhead enter.

He knocked on the door roughly and heard shuffling inside. A few seconds later, a barely audible gasp sounded but the door didn't open.

He frowned, "Olivia, is that you?"

No response.

"I know you're in there. I just want to talk, baby. Last night was a misunderstanding." Still there was no response.

"Come on, bitch," Jake was becoming livid. How dare she leave the club with Grant and then not even give him the time of day when he went through all of this trouble to find out where she lived. He was at least putting in effort to see her while Grant was sleeping at his own place. If Olivia was his, he'd never let her out of his sight. All of these thoughts just served to work him up even more.

"Open the door, bitch," he yelled. "If you don't open it. I'll break this motherfucker down!"

* * *

"Hello?" Fitz answered his phone, not bothering to look at the caller ID, as he was still deep in thought about how to best handle Jake Ballard.

"Fitz," the whisper came through.

"Livvie, is that you?" he moved the phone away from his face to check and sure enough, it was Liv. "Why are you whispering, baby?"

"Fitz, he's here!" she whispered again.

He didn't like the way she sounded. Her whisper was a higher pitch than her normal voice and he could hear her heavy breathing. "Who's there, Olivia? Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

"Jake! The guy from the club last night! He's banging on the door and threatening to break it down!"

Bile rose in his throat. Fitz couldn't believe that not only did Ballard find her, but now, he was threatening and scaring her. That just wouldn't work.

"Olivia do NOT open that door! I'm on my way, baby! I'm on my way."

Fitz grabbed his keys and ran out of his apartment as fast as possible. He jumped into his car and peeled out in the direction of Olivia's place. He sped through at least ten yellow lights and the speed limit was the last thing on his mind. All he could think of was Livvie scared and alone with Jake Ballard trying to kick in her door. He knew that Jake was kind of possessive over women and that he was an idiot, but he never thought he would go as far as stalking. Now, he didn't know what Jake was capable of, and with that thought in his head, he pressed on the gas pedal even harder.

He pulled into her complex and flew up the stairs at record pace. Before he even rounded the corner to her hall he could hear Ballard yelling, "Olivia! Open the fucking door! OPEN THE FUCKING DO-"

Fitz tackled him around the waist and started bashing his fists into the ugly bastard's face. After the first few punches, Ballard didn't even try to fight back. Like the punk that he was, he started trying to cover his face and roll over onto his stomach.

But Fitz wasn't having that. He was literally seeing red and all he could think of was Olivia's scared voice when she'd called him.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Fitz screamed, still punching Jake. "You're fucking scum you know that? SCUM!"

He stood up and started kicking Jake in the gut, but Liv must've heard his yells because she cracked the door open. When she saw what was happening, she screamed out his name and ran into his arms. Immediately, Fitz embraced her and placed himself between her and the whimpering man on the ground.

He grasped her face in-between his hands and brushed her hair back. "Are you okay?" he asked frantically.

There were tears streaming down her face and she just nodded. Seeing her cry brought back all of Fitz's rage and he turned back to Jake and started kicking him again.

"If you ever go anywhere near her again, I'll fucking kill you! Do you hear me? I'll kill you!"

"FITZ! FITZ STOP!"

Liv's voice broke through to him and he stopped kicking Jake.

"You're lucky she has enough mercy to stop me. Now get the hell out of here before I lose it. And I never want to see you again. Don't even think of coming near her." Jake scrambled away and limped down the hall, looking over his shoulder just once before rounding the corner and hopefully leaving their lives forever.

Fitz led Olivia back inside her apartment and over to a couch. Without saying a world, she wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her face in his chest. He just held her tightly until her breathing evened out and she fell asleep against him. He couldn't believe the turn of events, but he was so glad that she was safe and back in his arms. Once Liv had been asleep for a while, he gently slid out from underneath her and moved off of the couch. He looked down at her and his chest ached at how fragile she looked. He vowed right then and there to protect her always. He knew that she was in a fragile state, considering her recent breakup and then the Jake situation, and so he wouldn't push her for more than friendship just yet. But eventually, **eventually** he would marry Olivia Pope.

Of that, he was absolutely sure.

**And there it is! I hope you guys enjoyed! PLEASE leave me reviews! They convince me that someone other than myself enjoys my writing! Please and thank you!**

**XO**


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